We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us
Dalai Lama
so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid,
or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder.
We always have the choice.
A Facebook friend posted that quote early Monday morning. I “liked” it because I do, thought about commenting and realized that what I was going to say was more than a few lines, so here it is.
I immediately thought about my skin. When I’m under a lot of stress – psychological or physical – I develop dry patches that seem to flake off. They aren’t ugly per-say, but I’m aware of them and since I talk to people face to face for a living it is important that they feel free to open-up and not fixated on something that is unrelated to the conversation.
I moisturize, up my fish oil, make sure I’m well hydrated and have even more veggies, but this doesn’t always work. Sometimes the flaky skin needs to come off and that will leave parts of my face extremely red.
So back to the Dalai Lama’s comment that my friend posted. Experiences can either rub your skin and make it blister, or they can exfoliate the skin and bring forth new life. Either way, there is going to be some redness that isn’t exactly what everyone would consider youthful or beauty. But give it a moment in time and you’ll soon see what comes of it.
Life is suffering, dangerous and scary, but through the challenges we are given the opportunity to grow. We either grow stronger or weaker, but we never grow the same. Those who have breakthroughs exfoliate their life with the circumstances they are dealt or select. Those who remain stuck let life blister their life, leaving the scars that stop the new life from growing straight out.